Arab Finance: Egypt’s financial inclusion rate among citizens aged 15 and above reached 77.6% in December 2025, reflecting sustained growth in access to financial services, according to the Central Bank of Egypt's (CBE) latest financial inclusion and payment systems and services indicators.
The data shows that financial inclusion has expanded significantly over the past decade, rising from 27.4% in 2016 to 77.6% in 2025, marking a growth rate of 219%. The number of citizens holding active transactional accounts increased from 17.1 million to 54.7 million during the same period.
Among women, financial inclusion recorded stronger growth, increasing from 19.1% in 2016 to 71.4% in 2025, representing a 316% rise. Youth inclusion, covering those aged 15 to 35, also improved, rising from 36.3% in 2020 to 56.8% in 2025, reflecting a 79% increase.
Banking infrastructure continued to expand, with the number of bank branches reaching 4,787 and automated teller machines (ATM) totaling 26,160, alongside 1.35 million point-of-sale (POS) terminals nationwide.
Card ownership remains widely distributed across payment types, with prepaid cards accounting for 50.5%, debit cards 40%, and credit cards 9.5%. In absolute terms, 21.6 million citizens hold prepaid cards, compared to 19.7 million debit card holders and 4.8 million credit card users.
Gender distribution shows women account for 43% of card ownership, while men represent 57%. By age, adults aged 36 and above hold 21.9 million cards, compared to 15.4 million among those aged 15 to 35.
Digital financial services have seen notable expansion, particularly mobile wallets. The number of registered wallets rose from 15.2 million in 2019 to 60 million in 2025, with consistent annual growth reaching 25.2 million in 2021, 30.4 million in 2022, 39.4 million in 2023, and 50.4 million in 2024.
Transaction values through mobile wallets reached EGP 4 trillion in 2025, with adoption higher among younger users, as 19 million wallet holders fall within the 15 to 35 age group, compared to 17 million among those aged 36 and above.
Financial inclusion initiatives have been supported by targeted campaigns throughout the year, focusing on different segments including women in March, broader financial inclusion activities in April, youth in August, farmers in September, savings awareness in October, and persons with disabilities in December. Between 2017 and 2025, these initiatives contributed to opening 9.8 million new accounts, issuing 3.1 million mobile wallets, and distributing 9.3 million prepaid cards.
Financial literacy programs have also expanded. Between 2021 and 2025, awareness sessions reached 881,800 beneficiaries. The School Bank Project involved 169 schools, 474 teachers, and 20,600 students, while the Egyptian Banking Simulation Model engaged 25 universities and reached 931,100 students. In parallel, 58,400 employees in the banking and financial sector received training on financial inclusion topics.
Support for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) has strengthened, with banks’ MSME lending portfolios growing by 390% between December 2015 and December 2025.
From December 2020 to December 2025, lending increased by 87% in Upper Egypt and 69% in the Delta, while industrial activities grew by 55% and agricultural activities by 28%. By enterprise size, micro-enterprises recorded 112% growth, followed by small enterprises at 85% and medium enterprises at 36%, bringing total MSME lending growth to 71% over the same period.
The microfinance sector also expanded significantly across banking and non-banking channels, with total portfolio value rising by 157% from EGP 6.4 billion in 2016 to EGP 107 billion by the end of December 2025. The number of beneficiaries increased from 2 million in 2016 to a peak of 4.7 million in 2022, before stabilizing at 4.1 million in 2025, reflecting continued outreach alongside portfolio growth.
